The Jackpot Cap in Eurojackpot Explained

The top prize in Eurojackpot reached its cap of €90 million ahead of last Friday’s draw but nobody won, so what happens now and how long can the jackpot stay at its maximum level? Find out how the jackpot cap works:

How it works

Once €90 million has been added to the prize fund for the jackpot, any additional money raised from ticket sales which would normally go into the top tier has to be diverted elsewhere. The money instead flows down into the second tier, which rewards players who match five main numbers but just one of the two Euro numbers.

The jackpot can therefore stay at €90 million until someone matches the full winning line, with additional funds always going down to the second tier. The second tier also has a cap of €90 million, so in theory it is possible that some money would eventually have to be diverted to the third tier (Match 5), but this would only happen after several weeks when there are no winners in either of the top two tiers.

The benefits of the jackpot cap

The attraction of playing when the jackpot has hit its cap of €90 million is two-fold. Firstly, there is an opportunity to match all five main numbers and both Euro numbers to land the game’s biggest possible prize of €90 million. But there is also an opportunity to become a multimillionaire without even matching the full winning line.

In the next draw on Friday, for example, there is €27 million in the pot for the second tier, which is far larger than the top prize in most lotteries. The odds of winning a prize in the second tier are 1 in 5,959,013, significantly better than the odds of winning the jackpot and also better than the odds of winning most other games.

When will the jackpot be won?

While the jackpot could stay at €90 million for some time, history suggests it will be won soon. On the three previous occasions when it has hit €90 million, the jackpot has been won in the next draw.

If the pattern continues, the jackpot may just be won in Friday night’s draw, while the second tier prize of €27 million could also be split between a number of lucky players. Participants can take part in all 18 Eurojackpot countries or by choosing numbers online.